In late 1972, Alvin Lee decided to undertake a solo project as a departure from the routine of touring and recording with his band Ten Years After. He later attributed his motivation to boredom with his role as a heavy rock guitar virtuoso and a belief that financial rewards had become the only factor in the band’s continued existence. Having met Mylon LeFevre, an American gospel rock singer, when LeFevre’s band played as a support act to Ten Years After, Lee invited him to Jamaica for a holiday. The two musicians began writing songs there and recording rough demos with a local reggae group.

At Lee’s suggestion, LeFevre moved to England, where he helped convert a barn on Lee’s property, Hook End Manor, near Woodcote in south Oxfordshire, into a recording studio.While construction was underway on what Lee named Space Studio, the pair worked on their songs at Roger Daltrey’s home studio.

On the Road to Freedom was released in November 1973, it was the first solo project by Lee. The guest musicians at the sessions included George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Ron Wood and Mick Fleetwood. “Fallen Angel” and the Harrison-composed “So Sad (No Love of His Own)” were issued as singles from the album.

On the Road to Freedom was well received by music critics, although Lee’s more subtle guitar playing and new musical direction were not welcomed by fans of Ten Years After. Lee released a sequel to the album in 2012, titled Still on the Road to Freedom.